Ryan Day tries to make sense of Dwayne Haskins' death

The tragic death of former Ohio State and NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins is still rocking the football world. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is still trying to understand why something so horrible could happen to such a great person. Day revealed how he tried to cope upon hearing the news over the weekend.

“We were in the car the other day, and we were up in a little camp that that he went to and we were driving back and trying to wrap our minds around it and I I didn’t really have anything good to tell them, really,” Day said. “I couldn’t quite understand what to think of it all. It just very confusing, sad, but it makes you hug your loved ones a little bit more and you just understand how fragile life is, but something like this is difficult to explain.”

Day even admitted that he doesn’t believe he would be the current Ohio State head coach if it were not for the remarkable season the Buckeyes put together in 2018 with Haskins at quarterback and Day as offensive coordinator. Haskins only played one season as the full-time starter in Columbus, but Day worked side-by-side as the young gunslinger put together a remarkable campaign.

“On the field, my favorite game was the Maryland game,” Day reminisced . “I thought that was the game where he really grew up. I think he had three rushing touchdowns that game — and it was back in his home state — he was not going to be denied that day. He showed real toughness, which I know he really wanted to prove to everybody he was not just a throwing quarterback, because the quarterbacks we had before with JT and Braxton, they were runners who could also throw the ball. 

“But I think Dwayne saw himself as a passer who could also run the ball. And he tried to show it that day and that was a very difficult game, but he stepped up in a major way. That’s the game I’ll probably remember most.”

Haskins completed 28 of 38 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns in the overtime win, but the more impressive stat was his 15 carries for 59 yards and three scores.

With all the former Buckeyes quarterback did for the program in his lone season as the guy in Columbus, and will be honored this Saturday at Ohio State’s annual spring game. Day didn’t have many details when he met the media on Monday, but confirmed plans are indeed in the works to honor Haskins, who set multiple program records during his storied career with the Buckeyes.